


Red Light

by PrettyInSoulPunk



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Angst, Fluff, Getting Together, Idiots in Love, M/M, Mutual Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-22
Updated: 2020-10-22
Packaged: 2021-03-08 17:08:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,574
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27020257
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PrettyInSoulPunk/pseuds/PrettyInSoulPunk
Summary: "It's just something my parents used to do when I was little," Niall laughs as he tries to squirm out of Harry's reach. "Whenever we got stuck like this, one of them would say 'red light' and then they would lean in and snog each other. I was only five when they got divorced, but sometimes I miss little things like that."~*~Or, the one where I read about someone doing this, and I thought it would make an adorable Narry fic. Enjoy! :)
Relationships: Niall Horan/Harry Styles
Comments: 22
Kudos: 68





	Red Light

"Red light," Niall mutters, grinning to himself as he and Harry pull up to another crowded intersection. That's typical for Los Angeles though, and mildly annoying since there are so many other places that Niall would rather spend time with Harry.

"What?" Harry asks as he glances over at Niall.

"Nothing, sorry," Niall blushes as he realizes he must have said it out loud. "Just thinking."

"Tell me what you meant," Harry prods as he reaches over and tickles Niall's stomach.

"It's just something my parents used to do when I was little," Niall laughs as he tries to squirm out of Harry's reach. "Whenever we got stuck like this, one of them would say 'red light' and then they would lean in and snog each other. I was only five when they got divorced, but sometimes I miss little things like that." 

"That's adorable," Harry smiles. "Have you ever done that with anyone?" 

Niall shakes his head. "I've thought about it, but I've never actually done it."

"Aw," Harry says as the car lurches forward again. He's driving, so he turns his attention back to the road when the light changes. "You're such a hopeless romantic, Niall Horan."

"Do you want to be the pot or the kettle?" Niall teases because Harry is the most romantic person Niall knows. 

"Kettle, please," Harry giggles. 

"Anyway," Niall continues, "I still think about that sometimes. Kinda always stuck with me, I guess."

"How come you've never mentioned it before?" Harry asks, eyeing him curiously.

Niall just shrugs. "I don't think about it as much when I'm with other people, I suppose." 

"But you thought about it just now, with me," Harry points out.

"And?" Niall tries to sound casual, though he can feel his pulse racing. 

"That I'm special," Harry beams as he reaches over to pinch Niall's cheek. "I'm totally your favorite."

"You wish," Niall snorts, even though they both know it's the absolute truth.

*

Twenty minutes later, they've barely made it a couple of miles and Niall is starting to get restless. 

"I love L.A., but I could really do without all of this traffic," he huffs. "Not that London is much better."

"Same," Harry agrees. "At least it's a beautiful day, though and I had a lot of fun," he smiles over at Niall.

"Me too," Niall says softly. It really had been a perfect day. They spent most of it at their favorite beach in Malibu, and then they picked up some Japanese take-out that they ate while sitting on the hood of Harry's car at the far end of the parking lot. The restaurant was quite busy, but Niall was able to rush in and pick up their order without anyone noticing him.

Overall, it had been an amazing afternoon despite the traffic they're currently stuck in. It could be worse, though. Niall is with his favorite person in the world, in one of his favorite cities in the world, so there's not really much to complain about.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Harry says after a few minutes of silence. For good measure, he reaches into one of his cup holders and pulls out a penny that he hands to Niall.

"Is that all my thoughts are worth to you?" Niall smirks.

Harry rolls his eyes but Niall can see him biting back a smile. "It's just an expression, Niall. I was wondering what you were thinking about, that's all."

"That I wish we weren't stuck here," Niall lies. Well, it's not a complete lie. Even though he loves being with Harry, he has very little patience for traffic. He's also not about to admit to Harry how much he's been thinking about their afternoon together. 

"It'll ease up soon," Harry assures him as he reaches over to pat Niall's knee. 

"What are _you_ thinking about?" Niall counters.

"Kissing," Harry answers honestly. "First kisses, in particular. You know that moment when you finally kiss someone for the first time and it feels like fireworks going off around you?"

"Y-yeah," Niall stutters because he honestly wasn't expecting that at all. 

"I love that moment," Harry says. "Kissing is always nice, but there's just something extra special about a first kiss with someone that steals your breath away," he wistfully adds. 

Niall isn't sure what to say to that. Harry seems lost in thought like he's got someone particular in mind. Niall wants to ask, but he doesn't really want to hear about Harry kissing anyone else. 

"Yeah, I suppose so," Niall answers finally. "Been a while for me, though. I mean, since I snogged anyone," he adds. 

"Me too actually," Harry laughs. "I think _you_ were the last person I kissed, remember that?"

Niall definitely remembers. It was a few months ago on New Year's Eve, and they were both sitting on Niall's couch when the countdown started. Niall wasn't expecting anything to happen, but the second it turned midnight, Harry leaned over and planted a wet, uncoordinated kiss right on Niall's lips. He had been drinking though, which always made him overly affectionate so Niall didn't really think much of it. Harry likes to kiss his friends, (Niall included) even when he's sober, so it's not like it had been a grand declaration of his feelings.

"You mean when you drunkenly slobbered all over me? How could I forget," Niall teases. It wasn't their best kiss by far, but it still made him feel warm all over. 

"Heeeeeey," Harry frowns, "it wasn't that bad, was it?"

"Well, it wasn't anything like the fairytale kiss you just described, but it was fine, H. I'm just taking the piss," Niall tells him.

"Fine?" Harry deadpans. "Please, don't swoon too much, Niall; try to contain yourself."

"Harry - "

"You're so good for the ego," Harry grumbles. He's not actually mad - Niall can definitely tell the difference - but he also knows when Harry's at least somewhat annoyed. 

"Hey," Niall says as he unbuckles his seatbelt so he can move closer to Harry. "I was seriously just teasing you. It was a nice kiss, I promise," he finishes as he leans over and kisses Harry's shoulder affectionately.

Harry gives him an irritated look. "Nice? That's basically just another word for _fine_ , Niall."

"Are you actually mad about this?" Niall asks as he sits back up.

Harry softens at that and reaches out to give Niall's hand a squeeze. "No, of course not, Ni. It's just a bit embarrassing, that's all. Not my finest moment, I guess."

"At least it wasn't our first kiss," Niall offers. "That was pretty special, wasn't it? I mean, I know we were only teenagers and just kind of figuring some stuff out about ourselves, but it really meant a lot to me."

"Really?" Harry grins.

"Yeah," Niall nods as he brings their joined hands up to his lips and kisses Harry's knuckles. 

That entire weekend felt like a dream to Niall. On a whim, he had invited Harry to visit him and his family in Mullingar, but he was still shocked when Harry showed up. Not that he thought Harry didn't want to come see him, but they were still pretty young. Barely sixteen and seventeen respectively, so he was surprised that Anne had let Harry travel alone. 

One night, they had been sharing a bottle of Guinness that they nicked from the fridge when everyone was asleep. They weren't drunk, but they were cuddled up together in Niall's bed talking about anything and everything.

That's when Harry told Niall that he liked boys more than girls, romantically speaking. As much as Niall had been hoping that was the case, he didn't actually know for sure until then. He had his suspicions, but it wasn't something they had discussed yet. 

Niall liked boys too, even if only in theory since he hadn't actually kissed one before. 

_"I could be your first,"_ Harry had offered sweetly. 

_"Really?"_ Niall asked, wide-eyed. _You want to kiss me?_

_"Why wouldn't I? I mean, unless you don't want to, but - "_

Niall didn't even let Harry finish his sentence before he was immediately leaning into his space and kissing him softly. 

It took a second for Harry's brain to catch up, but then he wrapped his arms around Niall's neck and started kissing back. Slowly at first, just brushing their lips together, and then he added a bit of pressure before dipping his tongue into Niall's mouth.

It was over in a matter of seconds, but every part of Niall's skin burned from Harry's touch. His mouth was warm, tasting faintly of Guinness and he could still feel the heat from Harry's palm where he held it against Niall's cheek. 

_"I definitely wanted to,"_ Niall laughed against Harry's lips. _"Been thinking about it for a while, if I'm honest."_

 _"I'm glad I could help,"_ Harry smiled before leaning in and kissing Niall again. It was just a friendly peck the second time, but it made Niall realize that Harry obviously didn't understand what Niall was trying to tell him. 

Niall was too embarrassed at that point to bother trying again, and he really didn't want to make things weird. The band had only just recently been put together too, so Niall really didn't want any potential drama between them. 

Even though Harry didn't feel the same way about him, that weekend still holds a really special place in Niall's heart. He and Harry were nearly inseparable after that, and Niall would much rather have Harry as his best friend than not have him at all. 

"Wanna know a secret?" Niall asks before releasing Harry's hand.

"Of course," Harry smiles warmly. 

"That was actually my first kiss ever," Niall admits. "Well, my first _real_ kiss, anyway. Since I don't technically count the one I had when I was twelve."

"That bad, huh?" Harry teases. "I barely even remember my first kiss, if it's any consolation."

"No, not bad," Niall shakes his head. "Just kind of quick and awkward. Our lips barely touched for a split second and that was it. We were at a party and I hardly knew the girl. It wasn't like kissing someone I actually fancy, y'know?" 

"Someone you fancy, eh?" Harry asks, giving Niall a sly grin. 

"Oh, piss off," Niall reaches out to shove Harry playfully. "You're such a narcissistic twat. I just meant that - " 

"You _wanted_ to kiss me?" Harry finishes. 

"Shut it," Niall glares. "They were just two very different kinds of kisses, that's all. I think we were playing some random party game that first time, so it wasn't like - "

"Kissing someone you _fancy_ ," Harry winks. "Yeah, I got that."

"Bitch," Niall laughs, despite the way his heart feels like it might beat right out of his chest. "You're never going to let me live this down, are you?"

"Eventually," Harry says. "I suppose it's a bit hypocritical of me, though. Wanna know a secret of mine?" 

"Sure," Niall nods as he reaches for his mostly empty water bottle and takes a swig. It's unpleasantly warm at this point, but at least it gives him something to do while he waits for Harry to continue.

"I had the biggest crush on you back then," Harry tells him. "Although, who could blame me? You were the cutest boy I'd ever met," he adds and reaches over to ruffle Niall's hair.

"You… _what_?" Niall sputters as his water bottle slips through his fingers and hits the floor. It causes water to spray all over them, but luckily Harry isn't too fussy about that sort of thing. Had this been Niall's own car, he would already be pulling over to wipe down the interior. 

"Didn't we swim enough at the beach?" Harry teases as he uses the hem of his T-shirt to wipe the water from his face and steering wheel.

"Sorry," Niall mumbles as he reaches for his towel and dabs at the spots on Harry's dashboard.

"Don't worry about it," Harry smiles. 

"You really had a crush on me?" Niall asks a moment later. "Or are you just fucking with me?"

"No, I really did," Harry says. "You couldn't tell? I wasn't exactly subtle about it. Lou used to tease me every chance he got, that's why he was always moving over so I could sit next to you. Like during interviews and stuff," Harry adds. 

" _What_?" This is all too much for Niall's brain to process. "Tommo knew?"

"Yeah," Harry laughs. "He was always being a dick about it too. I begged him not to tell you though, because I didn't want to make things weird."

"Oh my God," Niall groans as he covers his face with his hands. "We're such fucking idiots. Harry, I liked you too! I just thought you and Tommo - "

"Do _not_ finish that sentence," Harry warns. He's mostly joking, but Niall can still detect an edge of sincerity. 

"I knew you weren't dating," Niall says, "but I thought you liked him. You were always flirting, and you spent like every waking moment together for those first few months."

"Well yeah," Harry agrees, "we got on really well and he immediately became one of my best mates, but that was it. Half the time we spent together it was mostly just me whining about how much I liked _you_. We just had so much going on at the time and I didn't want to screw anything up between us. Plus I had no idea if you felt the same way." 

"Are you kidding me? Of course I did!" Niall is a bit hysterical at this point, but there's no stopping him now. "I've done nothing but steadily fall in love with you since the day we met, Harry. This is why literally _every_ relationship of mine has crashed and burned. It's kind of hard to date someone when you're already in love with someone else."

" _What?_ " Harry demands as the car comes to a screeching halt at the next intersection. "You're in love with me? Like, _now_?"

"Did any of that sound like past tense to you?" Niall snaps. It comes out a bit more harshly than he intended, but he's trying to prepare himself for the rejection that's coming. Harry might have had a crush on him once upon a time, but he certainly hasn't spent years pining the way Niall has.

"Well no," Harry shakes his head, "I'm just processing, that's all."

"Okay, well you do that, then," Niall says as he turns to look out the window. The conversation is obviously far from over, but Niall could kick himself for opening his big mouth.

Yeah, he and Harry have always had this undeniable chemistry between them, but it's not like they've ever taken it to the next level. They've kissed before, and they're generally affectionate with each other, but Niall has always been good about keeping his feelings in check. 

Now he's gone and fucked it all up.

Well, maybe not. Logically, he knows their friendship is solid enough to survive this, but things might just be awkward for a while. Especially since it's not like Harry feels the same way. There were a few times where Niall thought they might be on the same page, but it's not something they've ever explored further than casual kisses or touches. 

Although to be fair, it's not like they've really had the time. Not lately, anyway. Ever since the band went on break and they began their solo careers, Niall and Harry don't get to hang out together as much as they would like. Still, they always make time for each other, and rarely ever let more than a couple of months go by without reconnecting.

So now, Niall has this dull ache in his stomach because he's not sure what's going to happen next. He wants to ask what Harry is thinking, but Harry hasn't said a word since Niall turned away from him. There are so many ways that Niall wishes Harry could have found out, not just him blurting it out in the heat of the moment. 

He can't take his words back though, and he can practically feel Harry vibrating next to him.

Harry is not fond of awkward silences, but Niall appreciates that Harry is at least trying to give him some space. Or as much as he possibly can, considering the fact that they're trapped in his tiny car, just minutes after Niall dropped a verbal bomb on him.

On the bright side, traffic seems to be easing up at least. The streets of L.A. are flying by now, as opposed to the snail's pace they were crawling at only minutes before. Niall is happy he'll be home soon, though he's sure Harry isn't going to let him off the hook that easily. Harry still hasn't spoken again, but now he's singing along with Fleetwood Mac as _Go Your Own Way_ comes up next on his playlist.

_Loving you isn't the right thing to do  
How can I ever change the things I feel?_

Well, _that's_ just great. Clearly the universe is punishing Niall.

*

They're finally almost to Niall's place when they get stuck at yet another major intersection. It's one of the longest traffic lights in Hollywood, so Niall groans as the car comes to a stop. What's even worse, is the fact that Harry started slowing down instead of speeding up like he normally would. 

"You totally could have made that light," Niall whines as he finally breaks the silence between them. He doesn't mean to sound like such a baby, but he really just wants to get home. 

He especially needs to talk to Louis, because Louis always has good advice for him. No, maybe he should call Liam instead. Louis will probably just tease him about why it took Niall so long to come clean about his feelings.

Scratch that, what Niall _really_ needs is a gallon of cookie dough ice cream and a case of Guinness. Maybe two.

"I know," Harry says as he leans over, right into Niall's space. The sun is starting to set now, so it creates a golden glow all around them.

"What's happening?" Niall asks as Harry continues to sway closer. 

"Red light," Harry explains, just before he leans in and presses his mouth against Niall's. He lingers for a bit, just long enough to make his intentions clear before he pulls back.

"Wow," Niall blushes. "So does that mean - " Niall starts, but Harry shuts him up with another kiss. They've got at least another minute or so before the light changes, so Niall's not about to argue.

"Is that how you imagined it?" Harry asks when they break apart. 

"Way better, actually."

"I aim to please," Harry winks.

"So, are we going to talk about it, or - "

"I'm still processing," Harry tells him.

"Oh. Okay, then." Niall can certainly take a hint, but he feels a lot better about the whole situation than he did ten minutes ago. He can also see the smirk tugging at Harry's lips, which means Harry probably already knows what he wants to say. He's just going to torture Niall a bit more because he's secretly a chaotic demon.

*

"So, I've thought about it," Harry says when they pull into Niall's driveway.

 _Here we go_. 

Niall's stomach swoops a bit, but he's cautiously optimistic that Harry's not going to reject him as he initially feared. And if he does, Niall will probably punch him in his perfect teeth.

"And?" Niall asks, as Harry shuts the car off and unbuckles his seatbelt. 

"I'm glad that at least one of us has a functioning brain," Harry laughs. "I've been putting off this conversation for a while now because I wasn't exactly sure how you felt. I mean, I _hoped_ you felt the same way, but it just never seemed like the right time to bring it up. Between our albums, and tours, and promo, it's like we're barely together long enough to catch up, much less anything else," Harry finishes in a breathless rush.

"I can definitely relate," Niall says as he crawls his way right onto Harry's lap. It takes a bit of shuffling for them to get comfortable, but then Niall is cupping Harry's jaw and kissing him slowly. 

He probably should have done a cursory scan of the street to make sure there were no paps around, but Niall really couldn't care less at this moment. Not when he's got Harry in his arms and they're finally on the same page.

"Stop distracting me," Harry teases when they pull apart. "I'm trying to use my words, Niall."

"Sorry, love," Niall giggles as he pulls back and slides his arms around Harry's neck. "Go on."

"I love you," Harry says simply. "I feel like I should have prepared a speech, but I wasn't expecting to have this conversation today."

"Me either," Niall admits. "I don't need any speeches, though. Just knowing you feel the same way is more than enough for me," Niall grins as he leans forehead against Harry's. 

"I do, baby, I love you _so_ much," Harry murmurs as he takes Niall's face into his hands and brushes his thumbs over Niall's cheek. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner, but I promise I'll make up for lost time."

"I'm holding you to that," Niall says as he grips Harry by the front of his T-shirt and kisses him again.

~*~

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! All comments are greatly appreciated, and you can come find me on tumblr over **[here](http://prettyinsoulpunk.tumblr.com)**! :D


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